Kennett, The First Air War
CORE THESIS - (XX-PJ) WWI's transformational impact on the evolution of early airpower concepts including mission types, aircraft types, aviation tactics and the roots of aviation squadron culture. WWI airpower--as a new third dimension of warfare--began a long standing debate about the role of airpower in national strategy (including counter-productive debates about "decisiveness"). MAIN IDEAS/COROLLARIES #By 1912, military value of air is being tested before the war. #As war begins MILITARY FUNCTIONS FOR AVIATION evolved over time (Chapt 1-4). ##Stage 1: Eyes of the Army: Tactical Recon (23) ##Stage 2: Strategic Recon (87) ##Stage 3: Aerial bombing – as an extension of arty (48) ##Stage 4: Aerial bombing – strategic bombing emerging as "distant" or "industrial" (54) ##Stage 5: Aerial combat – air-to-air (63) #TWO CATEGORIES of employment developed (86). ##"WORKING UNITS" – A-G forces working for a direct benefit of the ground forces. ##"COMBAT UNITS" – basically meant A-A forces. #COST of aircraft is an issue in WWI (85, 95)! #Fundamental observations: ##Modern industrial society more susceptible to bombing (9). ##Basis for AUTONOMY begins: to use airpower strategically (8). #Two core problems emerge: aircraft vulnerability and bomb accuracy (9). #Horribly, you may need to hit civilians when desperate to end long, unlimited war (9). #Airpower is viewed as so terrible a weapon that it could end war (12). Abolition of borders (13). Airpower over a capital city could end war (13). Air covers 100% of the earth. #Seapower is no shield against attack (17). #'Strategic' is almost synonymous with 'range' in early concepts… range against a CoG (3, 11). #Trenchardian viewpoint = relentless offensive use of air (26-29). #But this can only mean attacking what was within range (42). #Air-to-Ground integration is very trial and error in nature (87). #VERDUN marks the beginning of the fighter arm (73) and, "centrally directed tactical employment of the air weapon" (89b). #Chapter 8 contains many intellectual history notes on aviation squadron life (133). #The superior observation from air evolves rapidly (from balloons to planes). *"Observation and reconnaissance missions were by far the most numerous and the most important" (178). SOME CONCLUDING WWI THOUGHTS FROM BIDDLE FOR CONTEXT #The British Post-War Assessment (Biddle, 57). ##Conclusion 1: material damage was small. ##Conclusion 2: moral effect was considerable. ##Jones (61). Summarizing the good results: ###First, national moral impact ###Second, falling off of production. ###Third, diversion of enemy forces for defense. #The American Post-War Assessment (Biddle, 64). ##Note Thionville – 16 July 1919 – Key event: hit munitions train with secondaries. Starts to foster AI lessons about lucrative targets (63). ##Their Conclusions (64) ###Conclusion 1: Indirect effects ###Conclusion 2: Loss of production ###Conclusion 3: The cost of established defenses ###Conclusion 4: Fosters the diversion of enemy resources from O to D. #Hints to targeting from WWI: ##Long range (go long) ##The kind of target matters ##Ask, “What factories if destroyed would do the greatest damage?” ##Requires, “a more systematic analysis of target sets” ##“program of strategic bombing” #The US report favors Tivertonian vs Trenchardian concepts, "what factories if destroyed would do the greatest damage to the enemy's military organization as a whole" (Biddle, 67). REMEMBER THE VOLUNTEERS. They begin in WWI. The volunteer aviator spirit in the US begins here. #Escadrille Americaine changed to Lafayette Escandrille. ##Led by Norman Prince, New Englander, Mass 1914. ##Squadron B-Day, 16 April 1916 (Horne, 209). ##First mission – escort French bombers ##Odd mix of rich and poor; playboys and college boys, pro flyers and soldiers of fortune. ##First Commissioned officer among them, William Thaw, Yale. ##First US Ace: Raoul Lufbery. Died May 1918. #Flying Tigers 1938. Fight for China. #The Eagle Squadron 1940. Fight for Britain.